Suspense Fiction. Come for the plot, stay for the 18-page appendix that outlines just how nefarious real-world surveillance can be. Evelyn Gallagher works for the NSA's camera surveillance and face recognition program, and alerts her boss when she notices a meeting between a reporter and an NSA official. They're targeted for permanent removal, and Evelyn...well, Evelyn may know too much, so she's in danger too. Tense and action-packed, this thought-provoking novel may have you considering just how far is too far when it comes to national security and surveillance.

Suspense Fiction. Roy Cooper prefers to remain under the radar -- after all, he's a hit man, best utilized when no one knows he's coming. In L.A. for a job, Roy comes to the rescue of a jogger being terrorized by a group of street thugs, but he isn't able to prevent the man's murder -- or the video of the scene going viral when it becomes clear that the victim was a candidate for mayor. Roy's hero treatment doesn't please everyone though, including his employers, a suspicious cop, and a figure from Roy's past. Dark, violent, and with vivid characterization, this debut from screenwriter Scott Frank (Get Shorty) also offers a complex plot and cutting social commentary.

Spy Fiction. In this 5th Gray Man novel, former CIA agent Court Gentry is back on U.S. soil, determined to learn why the CIA wants him dead. No amount of soul-searching has turned up a clue, so Court is going directly to the source. Unfortunately, they've been warned he's coming. Fast-moving, action-packed, and of a kind with the Jason Bourne novels (and movies!), Back Blast requires a little willing suspension of disbelief... and it's probably best that newcomers to the series start at the beginning, with The Gray Man.

Psychological Suspense. Seven drowned men have been found in the San Francisco Bay in recent months, and while most people think they're accidental deaths, the M.E. thinks it's murder. Meanwhile, his friend Caleb, a toxicologist, is nursing literal and emotional wounds in a bar when he notices a mysterious woman who quickly captures his imagination. His search for her borders on obsession, but both of them are hiding poisonous secrets that only slowly come to light as the investigation into the drownings continues. A dark, creepy, twisting novel, The Poison Artist is "Hitchcock-esque" (Publishers Weekly).

Historical Crime Fiction. With his eldest son deeply in debt to a notorious gang leader, architect John Cross attempts to save his family from financial and social ruin by joining the crime syndicate known as "Kent's Gents" and using his insider knowledge of Manhattan's buildings to plan and execute daring robberies. Initially motivated by necessity, Cross soon discovers he's got a talent for theft. Depicting both the high society and the criminal underworld of 1886 New York City, this fast-paced, suspenseful story should appeal to fans of historical caper novels such as Carson Morton's Stealing Mona Lisa.

Crime Caper. In this violent, funny follow-up to series debut Plugged, fatalistic bouncer/casino owner Dan McEvoy tries not to sleep with an off-her-meds semi-girlfriend, "rescues" a kidnapped buddy, and deals with some cops determined to arrest him (or, alternatively, kill him), all while delivering a package for a small-time gangster who hopes the mission gets McEvoy killed. Plenty of profanity (inventively deployed) and a diabolically twisted plot results in "lots of bloody fun" (The New York Times) for the reader, if not for poor Dan.

Crime Fiction. All Emily wanted was a drink at the bar, but cozying up to the likeliest mark has landed her in a heap of trouble. Coerced into robbing a bank, she's now being hunted by both the police and a whole host of bad guys who really want the money. Russian gangsters, Cambodian street gangs, Chinese black marketers, a corrupt cop -- it seems as if all of San Francisco's criminal underclass is after her. Fans of this gripping debut should mark their calendars -- author (and former P.I.) Patrick Hoffman will be publishing his second book, Every Man a Menace, in October.

Scandinavian Crime Fiction. Roger Brown is a highly successful corporate headhunter in Oslo, but not successful enough to sustain his wife's lavish lifestyle. So, he uses the information he gleans from his clients to steal their valuable art, replacing them with fakes. When he learns of a priceless Rubens recently discovered by a client, he expects a big payoff, but things don't go as planned. "Nothing is as it seems" in this "deliciously plotted" novel, says Booklist; heist readers will enjoy the multiple twists and turns.

Crime Fiction. After spending ten hellish years in a Texas prison for his part in an armed-truck robbery gone wrong, Audie Palmer escapes...the night before he's paroled. No one knows why (or where he's gone), but the local cops, the FBI, and Audie's best friend in prison (he's been offered a deal: find Audie and go free) would all like to find out. While they all believe that Audie must have plans to retrieve the never-recovered seven million dollars, he escaped for entirely different reasons. Peppered with stunning plot twists and peopled with fascinating, unforgettable characters, Life or Death is a complex, suspenseful crime novel that also includes a love story.